Electoral College Essay -- Political Science

According to critics, the Electoral College is a faulty system that should be abolished and replaced by direct election. Supporters of the Electoral College system make convincing arguments that it is the best system to decide the Presidential election in a complex society such as the United States. Many scholars place the Electoral College into a historical context by discussing its evolution and sustenance throughout the history of the United States. This paper will discuss the main arguments made by supporters of the Electoral College System. I will first provide a description of the Electoral College and offer justifications as to why it was conceived by the Founding Fathers. Next, I will present major arguments from the critics of the Electoral College. In the third section, I will present the findings from proponents of the Electoral College. Finally I will conclude by synthesizing the arguments made by both opponents and proponents; I also will present research questions that were raised while working on the paper; and finally, I will stress the importance of the Electoral College and explain why I think it is the best system we have to elect the President. The Electoral College system is a body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice president. It was one of the most difficult agenda items in the 1787 Convention, where delegates were trying to create a fair and equitable way of selecting our President. As we would expect, there were numerous suggestions. For example, some delegates urged that the President should be selected by the Legislature while opposing delegates, in favor of direct election, believed that the Presidents loyalty would be to the Legislature instead of being independent in... ...ring Constitutional Conflicts. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. . 9. Haas, Karen L. "2010 Election Results and Vote Counts." Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. 3 June 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. . 10. Reed, Lawrence W. "Keep the Electoral College!" [Mackinac Center]. 6 Mar. 2001. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. . 11. Vita, Matthew, and Helen Dewar. "The Framers, Federalism, and One Person, One Vote." JSTOR. 17 Nov. 2000. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. . 12. Longley, Robert. "Why Keep the Electoral College?" About.com US Government Info. US Government Info. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. .